Jalen Ramsey drafted by Jaguars with No. 5 pick

The consensus top defensive back in the 2016 NFL Draft is off to shore up the Jacksonville Jaguars secondary after they selected Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey with the No. 5 overall selection.

Ramsey is a 6’1, 209-pound monster of a cornerback with a 41.5-inch vertical jump and 4.41 40-yard dash, but there are debates about his fit in the NFL. Like Patrick Peterson in the 2011 NFL Draft, there are temptations to take such a big, physical defensive back and put him in the middle of the secondary rather than half of the field.

“I’m a corner who can play safety,” Ramsey told Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller earlier in April. “I feel like I’m the prototypical new edition of cornerbacks that the league needs and is going to with bigger receivers. I’m the most physical defensive back and that’s how I play at every level. I have good footwork and can play with the smaller receivers. I can play on the back end because of my physicality, but also because of my range and length.”

Physicality is a defining trait for Ramsey, who is certainly bigger and stronger than the typical defensive back. Sometimes that size and strength was simply too much for collegiate receivers to deal with.

In coverage, Ramsey was hardly ever beat over the top due to his elite speed and use of the sideline that gave receivers little room to work with. He allowed just one touchdown in 2015 and it wasn’t even a case of Ramsey being out of position or getting beat by Miami’s Rashawn Scott.

According to the Pro Football Focus draft guide, Ramsey allowed 36 receptions in the 66 times he was targeted in 2015, but the catches yielded just 310 receiving yards. The 8.6 yards per reception allowed by Ramsey was one of the best marks in the nation and a testament to his ability to limit big plays by opposing receivers.

But opposing passers had a 72.2 passer rating -- using the NFL’s rating formula -- when throwing Ramsey’s direction. That’s a pedestrian number compared with the ratings allowed by other top defensive backs like Vernon Hargreaves (49.0), Mackensie Alexander (48.7) and William Jackson (55.6). The subpar statistic has to do with Ramsey being seemingly unable to force turnovers.

While quarterbacks often avoided Ramsey’s half of the field and he wasn’t given many opportunities to make interceptions, he still finished his collegiate career with just three and didn’t catch a single one in 2015. In a close game against Miami that Florida State won, 29-24, Ramsey had a pair of chances to make a game-changing play to put the Hurricanes away, and couldn’t secure the ball.

Richard Sherman of the Seattle Seahawks has often said that interceptions are what make him the best cornerback in the NFL, and while they don’t necessarily separate the good cornerbacks from the bad ones, Ramsey will have to make game-changing plays to be considered one of the elite defensive players in the NFL.

But even if his interception numbers aren’t high, he should make an impact in run defense, as well. PFF called him the best cornerback in the 2016 NFL Draft at defending the run and he often ran right through college wide receivers who attempted to block him.

The Jaguars can use the boost and he’s exactly the type of press cornerback that the Jacksonville defense covets, as it continues to attempt to model itself after the Seattle Seahawks defense from where Gus Bradley came.

Davon House played well for the Jaguars after signing in free agency a year ago, but Dwayne Gratz, Jeremy Harris and Demetrius McCray never played up to their expectations after Jacksonville drafted all three in the 2013 NFL Draft. Ramsey will likely fill in immediately as a starting cornerback now that the Jaguars filled free safety by signing Tashuan Gipson.

The Jaguars finished with the second-most points allowed in the NFL in 2015 and were No. 29 in pass defense. Ramsey promises to immediately improve both areas.